The present invention is directed to a door assembly. More specifically, the invention is directed to a door assembly having molded door skins that include a textured pattern that simulates the grain of natural wood.
Wood as a building material has advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of wood include an appealing appearance due to the annual variations, color and width of bands resulting from the growth of the wood. In addition, the cells in the wood provide porosity that can absorb stain. The disadvantages of wood are many. For example, wood can experience significant dimensional changes with variations in temperature and humidity. This can result in cracking and splitting. Further, the natural growth of wood can result in aesthetic and mechanical flaws from such occurrences as sap pockets and knots. Therefore, there is a need for a door assembly that has the appearance and stainability of wood with superior mechanical properties.
Door assemblies made of compression molded door skins are known in the art. These door assemblies provide uniform and reproducible products that can be aesthetically pleasing. An example of a prior art door assembly is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,550,540. It has been found that prior art doors contain imperfections that are recognized by knowledgeable consumers and persons involved in the door industry. For example, the surface of prior art door skins is not sufficiently rough at a microscale, the range of depth of the grain is too narrow, the grain pattern does not include undercuts and angle changes, the door assemblies are substantially lighter than wood doors, the prior art door assemblies flex more than wood doors, and the prior art doors can warp from the differences in skin surface temperature between the two opposed door skins. Therefore, there is a need for a door assembly that overcomes these problems.